Indian Textiles - Ancient and Diverse

At the end of the fifteenth century, Vasco da Gama became the first European to arrive in India, creating a new sea route from Europe to India. Over the next few centuries, India became one of the greatest exporters of textiles in global history.

With a textile history dating back millenia, it's inspiring to see the industry in India still going strong. A glorious tradition of artisans producing textiles by hand continues right up to the present day, with each region specialising in its own fabric and techniques.

Until at least the eighteenth century, India was using far more advanced techniques than the European textile industry, employing the likes of mordant dyeing from the second millenium BC.

Babur, the first Mughal emperor of India, championed the nation's ubiquitous floral motif during his reign from 1526-30. A great nature enthusiast, he commissioned many resplendent gardens and inspired later generations to incorporate sacred flowers into art, eventually spreading into commercial use at the height of the textile trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. 

In Ikat weaving the threads are dyed in a very particular way, to create a distinct pattern when the fabric is woven.

Indian textiles had been traded with China and Indonesia since ancient times and the creation of the 4,000 mile Silk Road was a significant contributor  to regional development. At the end of the fifteenth century, Vasco da Gama, a Portugese explorer, became the first European to  arrive in India, creating a new sea route from Europe to India. Over the next few centuries, India became one of the greatest exporters of textiles in global history.

The scale and impact of this period is illustrated by the fact that the English language still contains Indian words for many materials, from khaki and  gingham to calico and chintz.

Banarasi silk sarees are decorated with metal threads, traditionally made from gold and silver.

In the villages around Hyderabad, exquisite silk saris are woven in the rare and costly, double ikat style. This highly precise and labour intensive method involves resist dyeing the warp and weft fibres prior to weaving, eventually producing the unique two hundred year old design of the Puttapaka Sari. 

Khadi refers to a fabric where the fibres are spun by hand into threads and then the threads are woven by hand into fabric. The raw materials are spun on a 'charka', a type of spinning wheel. Khadi, of course, became a prominent political symbol, used by Mahatma Gandhi to mobilise the masses in India's struggle for independence from the British. Woven from cotton, silk or wool, and traditionally considered a rough 'poor man's fabric', khadi has undergone a recent revical and can now be seen regularly on Indian catwalks.  

In the 18th century, India was the largest cotton producer in the world.

In Assam, the eastern Himalayan region of India, the mountainous climate is perfect for the special type of silkworm that produces Muga silk. Muga is a wild silk with a natural, lustrous golden sheen, which is extremely durable, Due to its exquisite appearance and durability, it was originally reserved for royalty and aristocrats.

Varanasi is famous for its extremely fine silk. The majority of silk weavers work from home on foot-powered looms, using methods that have been passed down through generations. Banarasi saris are known for their elaborate zari embroidery using pure gold thread.

Kalamkari fabric is either painted by hand or block printed, using natural dyes. The process involves bleaching the fabric, immersing it in a mixture of fruits and milk to avoid colour bleeding, applying the pattern with a pen or brush and then dyeing the fabric. Each fabric is then washed multiple times.

Whether it's a Banarsi silk from Varanasi or Bandhani tie-dye from Rajasthan, the diversity of textiles and level of expertise reflects India's long and rich material history.

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